The wave of Sahara dust crossing Romania these days has settled last night in several cities in the southeast of the country.
The phenomenon was reported in the counties of Tulcea, Constanța, Ialomița, Brăila, as well as in other areas of the country and in Bucharest.
In Slobozia, the dust brought by the rain has covered all the cars:
Images of cars covered in dust from various areas of the country were widely distributed online on Wednesday. Some photos are accompanied by comments questioning this phenomenon.
"This 'Saharan' dust was so clever that it settled on everything that moves, without the wind blowing for a second. As my friend (…) said: 'Considering the amount of dust deposited all over the country, all the Saharan sand should have ended.' Only that our Constanta sand located 200 km from Bucharest doesn't reach here anymore, but it's good that all the 'Saharan dust' travels 4,000 km to reach our lungs and cover all the cars on top of that. (...)
Therefore, it could only have been thrown from above in a controlled manner to settle like this everywhere. They had serious work (...) spraying last night! We will end up suffocating with how frequent these toxic spraying episodes are!
But around us, there's peace and quiet. Since no one revolts in real life, we have NO chance to cancel these daily misfortunes. I don't know how long our lungs will resist such a TOXIC assault!", someone wrote.
"Considering the amount of dust deposited all over the country, all the Saharan sand should have ended", another person wrote on social media.
"The car got chickenpox after the rain. My nostrils are burning every 3 days, for the past two years. It learns slowly and in vain. I've entered the dementia zone for a few years, the planet is being saved from people. One-two, Saharan dust," another internet user commented.
Many found it amusing, and jokes flooded the Internet:
"Saharan dust, English rain, polar spring 🙂 How can you not love this weather? 🙂"
"It's Christmas for car washes."
"They dropped something brown from above! Whoever did it, clean it up! Did you experience it?" wrote another user.
Risk for Those with Respiratory and Allergic Diseases
Returning to a serious note, people suffering from chronic respiratory diseases can be affected by Saharan dust, warns Dr. Beatrice Mahler, the manager of the Marius Nasta Institute.
"Saharan dust poses a risk of exacerbation in people with chronic respiratory diseases: asthma, COPD, bronchiectasis, as it can induce exacerbations of these conditions.
The risk of ending up in an emergency room for additional treatment increases by 30% for these patients in the next five days after exposure. For those who are at home and know they are sick, it is recommended to use the medication prescribed by their pulmonologist for particular situations, such as this," the doctor stated for Agerpres.
Beatrice Mahler mentioned that allergic individuals can also be disturbed by Saharan dust. "Allergic individuals can also be affected. The symptoms are practically specific to the type of allergy they have: congested nose, others sneeze, others have injected conjunctiva.
The medication they take from the allergist must be administered regularly, and I am convinced that allergists or pulmonologists for patients with allergic asthma have recommended for each patient to increase the dose in certain specific, typical moments that bring a risk of exacerbation or unpleasant, aggravating symptoms," Mahler pointed out.
In healthy individuals, the body has the capacity to eliminate excess particles in case of short-term exposure.
However, it is not recommended to practice outdoor sports: "What is not recommended in such moments is to do outdoor sports, to increase pulmonary ventilation, because at that moment the body will prioritize oxygenating the body and not protecting it. It is preferable to avoid outdoor exertion when there are warnings of this kind," the doctor explained.
How Long Will the Dust Cloud Stay above Romania
The National Meteorological Administration announced that a mass of air loaded with Sahara dust will be above Romania on Tuesday and in the early part of Wednesday.
"During the period from April 23 at 09:00 - April 24 at 13:00, the airflow, predominantly southwestern, will favor the advance from northern Africa of a mass of air loaded with Saharan dust particles towards southeastern Europe. This air mass will be above Romania on Tuesday (April 23) and in the early part of Wednesday (April 24)," ANM reported.
Dust deposits will be observable in areas and intervals where it will rain.
Wednesday afternoon, the air mass loaded with dust particles will move northeast and away from Romania.